Interlude: Lit Circle Letter 2

The second half of Ender's game focuses mainly on the trials and hardships of Battle School. Ender is subjected to pain and hardship, making few friends that he can trust and distinguish as human. This is in stark contrast to the unknown commanders of the Battle School, who subject the children and pre-teens to extreme combat conditioning.

Early on, there are easy allusions to "Lord of the Flies". The students are separated into armies under the mercy of the older commanders. The multiple inplications that they sleep naked and never cease to practice easily portrays them as the savages. This also questions the morality and purpose of the commanders.

As they move on, the battles become more unfair and unbalanced. Ender is given the responsibility of command, and his combat record is unmatched. The strain easily tires him out, and his training is accelerated to the point of mental breakdown. He eventually subjects a subordinate, Bean, to the same treatment he received.

This hints at the unbreakable cycle of the military and their discipline in the face of danger. Even at the end of the section, Ender is forced to comabt his old commander and rival, Rose the Nose. As they fight naked in the shower, we are reminded simply that they are not children. What remains in them that can be called soldiers is an title earned through difficult adversity. Even though Ender walks away alive, he unknowingly kills Nose by disregarding soldier's honor. Rose the Nose fought by honor, but Ender resorted to his brother's tactics of guerrilla warfare and deception.

This is all acoompanied by a subplot of Ender's siblings, Valentine and Peter. At such a young age, the two fight a proxy war as allies. The two are able to successfully gain notoriety by debate on the civilian chat network. It is unknown why Valentine helps her demonic brother, but it is clear Peter's motivation is in the belief of radical change for the world.

All of this continues to reinforce the implied themes of the book. This seems more and more to be a critical analysis of Militarism and humanism. It is difficult to distinguish between the criticism and the true telling of the story. The two are blended so well that there may not be a hidden message at all.

I list the themes I have been able to recognize so far:

Ethics and morals: Both the childern and the adults present in the novel are ruthless and heartless in the name of survival. This is noticeable because it is highly extreme; none of the actions of moral ambiguity are questionable in purpose.

Friends/Enemies: The distinction between friends and enemies are highly unclear. It is easy for Ender to distinguish who are threats to him. It is not easy to distinguish between those who wish to help him.

Fear: Everyone in the novel is driven by some form of fear. As a commander, Ender fears for his own life when Rose the Nose and the others conspire against him. Valentine's motivations are by her fear of Peter. Peter fears his future position in a changing world. Colonel Graff fears the Bugger threat high enough to punish and torture children in their respective hells.